O Tannenbaum!

Is there anything more magical than walking through the door on a cold wintry night to the sparkling gleam of the tiny lights strung on a Christmas tree? 
The arduous task of trimming your tree with ornaments, garlands and lights is well worth the effort, don't you think? I look forward to this yearly custom with so much excitement that I often jump straight from Diwali or Halloween to Christmas just because I cannot wait to put up my tree. And this year was no exception!

I have always dressed my tree in enchanting jewel tones. However, I wanted to incorporate the wintry white of the beautiful Ohio landscape this year. West Elm and Pottery Barn have some gorgeous holiday displays and there was my inspiration! I envisioned a tree with ornaments in milky white, sparkling crystal, and shiny silver.  Of course, I am no tree decorating expert and I learn something new every year myself. After all, creativity does take some practice! I have not entirely mastered the art of layering but I am getting better at it.

The tree comes to life!

 My boy is an enthusiastic little helper and with a little cajoling, I can rope in the  reluctant spouse too. And usually a faux pas or few later, our tree gets done! 
 If you are the kind that plans ahead of time, then post-christmas sales are the best time to buy your ornaments. And if you swear by last minute like I do,  Hobby Lobby usually runs half-off sales sporadically through the holiday season.  Instead of ribbons, I used "dazzling drape" this year. What a fabulous find it was too! Unlike the stiff  and fussy ribbons, this is soft and easy to work with. For the gift wrap, I chose a plain red shiny paper and jute thread  both from the local supermarket.  Again, drawing inspiration from  the rustic charm of the Pottery barn gift boxes! I added a touch of  glam with shiny snow flakes ornaments.

Bold yet simple!

Historically, our tree was always displayed by the window in the formal. And since this is the year of many changes, I decided to change the location of our tree as well. It now stands in our family room by the fireplace. And so, I dressed up the mantel just enough to get a pretty holiday picture. The stores are brimming with a delightful selection of nutcrackers and I found my perfect pair in a dreamy pastel blue and pink combination at Home Goods. A friend who went on the shopping expedition with me spotted matching ornaments and we knew we had a winner for the mantel!

Mantel vignette- the nutcrackers stand tall in the company of some merry baubles

And  without much further adieu - here is our tree in all its wintry white charm!

Our tree in wintry white

 And now another picture for good measure!

Our family room ready for Christmas!

 So, that dear readers, was my tree decorating story! With all the decorations now in place, I can finally put my feet up and look forward to celebrating with friends and family! 
It has been a great pleasure  sharing our celebrations with the readers of Aalayam this year and as always we would love to hear from you. 

Cheers!
Deepa

The images for this post were taken by my husband Uj. Please ask before using, thanks!